Barcelona resident tip - holiday puentes. What are puentes? It is common in Barcelona and Spain is to take the day off that comes in between a public holiday (dia festivo) and the weekend if the public/bank holiday is on a Tuesday or Thursday. That way residents of Barcelona enjoy a looooooong weekend. In Spain this is called "to make a bridge" or "hacer puente" in Spanish. This means that in Barcelona there is a huge exodus from the city on big puente weekends, so book in advance, if you want to leave town and be prepared for long traffic delays leaving and returning to Barcelona. Catalonia is an autonomous province of Spain which means that there are also some autonomous regional holidays.

For residents of Barcelona there are around 15 official public holidays every year in Barcelona/Catalonia and then usually some "puentes" on top if you work for a Spanish company.